Wave-Modified Turbidites: Combined-Flow Shoreline and Shelf Deposits, Cambrian, Antarctica

Sandstone tempestite beds in the Starshot Formation, central Transantarctic Mountains, were deposited in a range of shoreline to shelf environments. Detailed sedimentological analysis indicates that these beds were largely deposited by wave-modified turbidity currents. These currents are types of combined flows in which storm-generated waves overprint flows driven by excess-weight forces. The interpretation of the tempestites of the Starshot Formation as wave-dominated turbidites rests on multiple criteria. First, the beds are generally well graded and contain Bouma-like sequences. Like many turbidites, the soles display abundant well-developed flutes. They also contain thick divisions of climbing-ripple lamination. The lamination, however, is dominated by convex-up and sigmoidal foresets, which are geometries identical to those produced experimentally in current-dominated combined flows in clear water. Finally, paleocurrent data support a turbidity-current component of flow. Asymmetric folds in abundant convolute bedding reflect liquefaction and gravity-driven movement and hence their orientations indicate the downslope direction at the time of deposition. The vergence direction of these folds parallels paleocurrent readings of flute marks, combined-flow ripples, and a number of other current-generated features in the Starshot event beds, indicating that the flows were driven down slope by gravity. The wave component of flow in these beds is indicated by the presence of small- to large-scale hummocky cross-stratification and rare small two-dimensional ripples. Wave-modified turbidity currents differ from deep-sea turbidity currents in that they may not be autosuspending and some proportion of the turbulence that maintains these flows comes from storm waves. Such currents are formed in modern shoreline environments by a combination of storm waves and downwelling sediment-laden currents. They may also be formed as a result of oceanic floods, events in which intense sediment-laden fluvial discharge creates a hyperpycnal flow. Event beds in the Starshot Formation may have formed from such a mechanism. Oceanic floods are formed in rivers of small to medium size in areas of high relief, commonly on active margins. The Starshot Formation and the coeval Douglas Conglomerate are clastic units that formed in response to uplift associated with active tectonism. Sedimentological and stratigraphic data suggest that coarse alluvial fans formed directly adjacent to a marine basin. The geomorphic conditions were therefore likely conducive to rapid fluvial discharge events associated with storms. The abundance of current-dominated combined-flow ripples at the tops of many Starshot beds indicates that excess-weight forces were dominant throughout deposition of many of these beds

Proterozoic crustal evolution of central East Antarctica: Age and isotopic evidence from glacial igneous clasts, and links with Australia and Laurentia

Rock clasts entrained in glacial deposits sourced from the continental interior of Antarctica provide an innovative means to determine the age and composition of ice-covered crust. Zircon U-Pb ages from a suite of granitoid clasts collected in glacial catchments draining central East Antarctica through the Transantarctic Mountains show that crust in this region was formed by a series of magmatic events at ∼2.01, 1.88–1.85, ∼1.79, ∼1.57, 1.50–1.41, and 1.20–1.06 Ga. The dominant granitoid populations are ca. 1.85, 1.45 and 1.20–1.06 Ga. None of these igneous ages are known from limited outcrop in the region. In addition to defining a previously unrecognized geologic history, zircon O and Hf isotopic compositions from this suite have: (1) mantle-like δ18O signatures (4.0–4.5‰) and near-chondritic Hf-isotope compositions (εHf ∼ +1.5) for granitoids of ∼2.0 Ga age; (2) mostly crustal δ18O (6.0–8.5‰) and variable Hf-isotope compositions (εHf = −6 to +5) in rocks with ages of ∼1.88–1.85, ∼1.79 and ∼1.57 Ga, in which the ∼1.88–1.79 Ga granitoids require involvement of older crust; (3) mostly juvenile isotopic signatures with low, mantle-like δ18O (∼4–5‰) and radiogenic Hf-isotope signatures (εHf = +6 to +10) in rocks of 1.50–1.41 Ga age, with some showing crustal sources or evidence of alteration; and (4) mixed crustal and mantle δ18O signatures (6.0–7.5‰) and radiogenic Hf isotopes (εHf = +3 to +4) in rocks of ∼1.2 Ga age. Together, these age and isotopic data indicate the presence in cratonic East Antarctica of a large, composite igneous province that formed through a punctuated sequence of relatively juvenile Proterozoic magmatic events. Further, they provide direct support for geological correlation of crust in East Antarctica with both the Gawler Craton of present-day Australia and Proterozoic provinces in western Laurentia. Prominent clast ages of ∼2.0, 1.85, 1.57 and 1.45 Ga, together with sediment source linkages, provide evidence for the temporal and spatial association of these cratonic elements in the Columbia supercontinent. Abundant ∼1.2–1.1 Ga igneous and metamorphic clasts may sample crust underlying the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, indicating the presence of a Mesoproterozoic orogenic belt in the interior of East Antarctica that formed during final assembly of Rodinia.Field and analytical portions of this project were supported by the National Science Foundation (award 0944645)

Real-space imaging of polar and elastic nano-textures in thin films via inversion of diffraction data

Exploiting the emerging nanoscale periodicities in epitaxial, single-crystal thin films is an exciting direction in quantum materials science: confinement and periodic distortions induce novel properties. The structural motifs of interest are ferroelastic, ferroelectric, multiferroic, and, more recently, topologically protected magnetization and polarization textures. A critical step towards heterostructure engineering is understanding their nanoscale structure, best achieved through real-space imaging. X-ray Bragg coherent diffractive imaging visualizes sub-picometer crystalline displacements with tens of nanometers spatial resolution. Yet, it is limited to objects spatially confined in all three dimensions and requires highly coherent, laser-like x-rays. Here we lift the confinement restriction by developing real-space imaging of periodic lattice distortions: we combine an iterative phase retrieval algorithm with unsupervised machine learning to invert the diffuse scattering in conventional x-ray reciprocal-space mapping into real-space images of polar and elastic textures in thin epitaxial films. We first demonstrate our imaging in PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices to be consistent with published phase-field model calculations. We then visualize strain-induced ferroelastic domains emerging during the metal-insulator transition in Ca2RuO4 thin films. Instead of homogeneously transforming into a low-temperature structure (like in bulk), the strained Mott insulator splits into nanodomains with alternating lattice constants, as confirmed by cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy. Our study reveals the type, size, orientation, and crystal displacement field of the nano-textures. The non-destructive imaging of textures promises to improve models for their dynamics and enable advances in quantum materials and microelectronics

Composition and age of the East Antartic Shield in eastern Wilkes Land determined by proxy from Oligocene-Pleistocene glaciomarine sediment and Beacon Supergroup sandstones, Antarctica

The Precambrian East Antarctic Shield played a central role in the tectonic evolution of Rodinia and Gondwana, as well as growth of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, yet little is known about its ice-covered interior. Glaciogenic deposits of Oligocene-Miocene and Pleistocene age on the Wilkes Land margin include glaciomarine diamictons containing basement rock clasts and fine-grained siliciclastic detritus, which provide proxy samples of the continental basement. Rock clasts obtained by dredge (81% metamorphic, 14% igneous, and 5% sedimentary lithologies) provide petrographic, geochemical, and age information about the glacial source area. Igneous clasts with Ross orogen U-Pb zircon ages (ca. 500 Ma) include a notably old ca. 585 Ma granitoid; they and Ross-age metamorphic rocks give discrete inherited-zircon age populations of 670-780, 900-1300, 1740-2300, and >2700 Ma that reflect basement sources. Paleoproterozoic rock clasts (granitoid, charnockite gneiss, and granulite gneiss) range from ca. 1720 to 1740 Ma. Detrital zircon populations from glacio marine sediments vary with depositional age but show common terrigenous provenance ages of 460-660, 1045-1315, 1545-1815, and 2420-2605 Ma, which overlap those from inherited zircons in the Ross granitoids. Detrital zircon ages from onshore Permian and Triassic terrestrial sedimentary rocks reveal a different provenance and indicate that the glaciogenic deposits do not contain significant secondcycle material from older interior basins. Together, these data suggest that metamorphic rock units with distinctive Neoproterozoic, Paleoproterozoic, and Archean ages dominate East Antarctic Shield basement inland from the eastern Wilkes Land margin, and that Ross-age granitoids either intruded or were derived by partial melting of this composite metamorphic basement

Rapid Access Ice Drill: a new tool for exploration of the deep Antarctic ice sheets and subglacial geology

ABSTRACTA new Rapid Access Ice Drill (RAID) will penetrate the Antarctic ice sheets in order to create borehole observatories and take cores in deep ice, the glacial bed and bedrock below. RAID is a mobile drilling system to make multiple long, narrow boreholes in a single field season in Antarctica. RAID is based on a mineral exploration-type rotary rock-coring system using threaded drill pipe to cut through ice using reverse circulation of a non-freezing fluid for pressure-compensation, maintenance of temperature and removal of ice cuttings. Near the bottom of the ice sheet, a wireline latching assembly will enable rapid coring of ice, the glacial bed and bedrock below. Once complete, boreholes will be kept open with fluid, capped and available for future down-hole measurement of temperature gradient, heat flow, ice chronology and ice deformation. RAID is designed to penetrate up to 3300 m of ice and take cores in <200 hours, allowing completion of a borehole and coring in ~10 d at each site. Together, the rapid drilling capability and mobility of the system, along with ice-penetrating imaging methods, will provide a unique 3-D picture of interior and subglacial features of the Antarctic ice sheets

U-Pb evidence of ~1.7 Ga crustal tectonism during the Nimrod Orogeny in the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica: implications for Proterozoic plate reconstructions

The Pacific margin of East Antarctica records a long tectonic history of crustal growth and breakup, culminating in the early Paleozoic Ross Orogeny associated with Gondwanaland amalgamation. Periods of older tectonism have been proposed (e.g. Precambrian Nimrod and Beardmore Orogenies), but the veracity of these events is difficult to document because of poor petrologic preservation, geochronologic uncertainty due to isotopic resetting, and debated geological field relationships. Of these, the Nimrod Orogeny was originally proposed as a period of Neoproterozoic metamorphism and deformation within crystalline basement rocks of the Nimrod Group, based on ∼1000 Ma K-Ar mineral ages. Later structural and thermochronologic study attributed major deformation features in the Nimrod Group to Ross-age basement reactivation. Yet, new SHRIMP ion microprobe U-Pb zircon age data for gneissic and metaigneous rocks of the Nimrod Group indicate a period of deep-crustal metamorphism and magmatism between ∼1730-1720 Ma. Igneous zircons from gneissic Archean protoliths show metamorphic overgrowths of ∼1730-1720 Ma, and an eclogitic block preserved within the gneisses contains zircons yielding an average metamorphic crystallization age of ∼1720 Ma. Deformed granodiorite that intrudes the gneisses and associated metasedimentary rocks yields a concordant zircon crystallization age of ∼1730 Ma. Despite scant petrologic evidence for these metamorphic and igneous events, the zircon ages from these diverse rock types indicate major crustal thickening, possibly due to collision, in the late Paleoproterozoic. We therefore recommend revival of the term Nimrod Orogeny to describe Paleoproterozoic tectonic events in rocks of the East Antarctic shield. Similarities in the ages of igneous and metamorphic events in the Nimrod Group and geologic units elsewhere in present-day East Antarctica, southern Australia and southwestern North America suggest they may have played a role in early supercontinent assembly. In particular, similarity with the Laurentian Mojave province is consistent with Proterozoic plate reconstructions joining ancestral East Antarctica with western Laurentia

Temporal, isotopic and spatial relations of early paleozoic gondwana-margin arc magmatism, Central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

The Cambrian-Ordovician Ross Orogeny in Antarctica produced a voluminous magmatic belt composed mainly of post-orogenic granitoids. This magmatic belt has strong calc-alkaline characteristics reflecting a convergent-margin origin associated with subduction of paleo-Pacific oceanic lithosphere beneath cratonic East Antarctica. However, it is unclear how and when magmatism began, and to what degree magmatism was associated with syn-orogenic deformation and intra-arc extension. New U-Pb zircon ages, and whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotope data for granitoids sampled along a transect across the Ross Orogen in the Nimrod Glacier area of the central Transantarctic Mountains provide constraints on the timing, spatial variation, and origin of the magmatism in this area. This transect is one of the few places where the orogenic arc extends into the East Antarctic cratonic basement, thus helping to constrain both craton and arc evolution. New U-Pb ages show that magmatism was initiated as early as ∼590 Ma following latest Neoproterozoic rifting, that the magmatic belt is long-lived, lasting over about 100 Myr, and that the locus of magmatism shifted oceanward over time. Early syn-orogenic magmatism was focused within the leading edge of the cratonic basement, perhaps guided by strain partitioning during oblique subduction; younger magmas intruded a forearc sedimentary molasse basin, itself eroded from the earlier established arc system. Broadening of the arc during the later phases of Ross convergence indicates rollback of the subducting plate hinge and thickening of the developing forearc during continuing orogenic contraction. The granitoids mainly have calc-alkaline geochemical characteristics, but they show some similarity to adakitic compositions indicative of melt fractionation from the subducting slab; they do not show the alkaline signatures attributed in other areas to crustal extension. Inherited zircon components are compatible with melting of lower crust similar to that exposed at present in the Nimrod Group; however, the paucity of older cores suggests that melt production involved relatively large degrees of fractional melting at high temperature. Whole-rock Sr and Nd isotopic compositions vary systematically across the belt, as expected in a convergent-margin arc setting, and they show significant cratonic influence, with initial. 87Sr/. 86Sr compositions as high as 0·750 and e{open}Nd values as low as -15 for granitoids intruding Nimrod Group basement. Although there is an isotopic discontinuity associated with the inferred cratonic rifted margin, the later phase of magmatism is characterized by uniformly low. 87Sr/. 86Sr and high e{open}Nd, indicating that melt compositions are controlled more by subduction processes than by assimilation of existing crust in the cratonic upper plate

Provenance of Neoproterozoic and lower Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks of the central Ross orogen, Antarctica: Detrital record of rift-, passive-, and active-margin sedimentation

Siliciclastic rocks in the Transantarctic Mountains record the tectonic transformation from a Neoproterozoic rift-margin setting to a passive-margin and ultimately to an active early Paleozoic orogenic setting along the paleo-Pacific margin of East Antarctica. New U-Pb detrital-zircon ages constrain both the depositional age and sedimentary provenance of these strata. In the central Transantarctic Mountains, mature quartz arenites of the late Neoproterozoic Beardmore Group contain Archean and Proterozoic zircons, reflecting distal input from the adjacent East Antarctic shield, Mesoproterozoic igneous provinces, and Grenville-age parts of East Gondwana. Similarly, basal sandstones of the Lower Cambrian Shackleton Limestone (lower Byrd Group) contain zircons reflecting a dominantly cratonic shield source; the autochthonous Shackleton was deposited during early Ross orogenesis, yet its basal sandstone indicates that the inner shelf was locally quiescent. Detrital zircons from the Koettlitz Group in southern Victoria Land show a similar age signature and constrain its depositional age to be ≤670 Ma. Significant populations (up to 22%) of ca. 1.4 Ga zircons in these Neoproterozoic and Lower Cambrian sandstone deposits suggest a unique source of Mesoproterozoic igneous material in the East Antarctic craton; comparison with the trans-Laurentian igneous province of this age suggests paleogeographic linkage between East Antarctica and Laurentia prior to ca. 1.0 Ga. In strong contrast, detrital zircons from upper Byrd Group sandstones are dominated by young components derived from proximal igneous and metamorphic rocks of the emerging Ross orogen. Zircon ages restrict deposition of this syn- to late-orogenic succession to ≤520 Ma (Early Cambrian or younger). Sandstone samples in the Pensacola Mountains are dominated by Grenville and Pan-African zircon ages, suggesting a source in western Dronning Maud Land equivalents of the East African orogen. When integrated with stratigraphic relationships, the detrital-zircon age patterns can be explained by a tectonic model involving Neoproterozoic rifting and development of a passive-margin platform, followed by a rapid transition in the late Early Cambrian (Botomian) to an active continental-margin arc and forearc setting. Large volumes of molassic sediment were shed to forearc marginal basins between Middle Cambrian and Ordovician time, primarily by erosion of volcanic rocks in the early Ross magmatic arc. The forearc deposits were themselves intruded by late-orogenic plutons as the locus of magmatism shifted trenchward during trench retreat. Profound syntectonic denudation, followed by Devonian peneplanation, removed the entire volcanic carapace and exposed the plutonic roots of the arc